On Wednesday 28 June in Brussels, the EU institutions reached a preliminary agreement on the reform of legislation on organic farming and labelling of organic products (see EUROPE 11816).
It was at this last trialogue meeting chaired by the Maltese Presidency of the Council that this issue could be finalised, leaving it to the Estonian Presidency to implement the new text.
At the start of the week, the Maltese Presidency was granted a revised mandate comprising a new revised compromise text on organic farming. This takes up and puts meat on the bones of the solutions suggested by Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan to the two most problematic issues: pesticide residues and cultivation of crops under glass (in containers).
Beyond these two matters, the other parts of the mandate related to imports and checks, the phasing out of derogations on the use of seeds, derogations in the event of natural disasters and livestock databases. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)
*** article modified at 21h30 after publication ***